HOOVER, Ala. - Alabama coach Nick Saban has long chosen his words carefully, and he did so again when asked on Thursday if he had visited with Texas last winter about replacing Mack Brown

"I didn't have any conversations with them," Saban said on the last of four SEC Media Days. "Nobody offered me anything. So I guess if I didn't have any conversations with them, I didn't have very much interest."

The Longhorns wound up tabbing Louisville's Charlie Strong A new book by the SEC Network's Paul Finebaum, a longtime radio host in Alabama, contends UT tried offering Saban a contract of around $100 million to leave Alabama.

"The University of Texas is a fantastic place, and they've got a lot of wonderful people there. It's a great institution," Saban continued. "But this is about where we are in life. … This is where we choose to end our career someday."

Saban wasn't asked specifically if his agent, Jimmy Sexton, had any dealings with UT or its regents last winter.

Crimson Tide receiver Christion Jones on Thursday vowed Saban never seriously considered any overtures from the Longhorns.

"With coach Saban, it's never been about the money," Jones said. "He loves Alabama, and he loves our team. And the way we finished last year, I don't think any man would run from that. There's a point to prove, (especially) after the standard he'd already set at Alabama."

The Crimson Tide won national titles in 2011 and 2012 but lost to Auburn in the 2013 regular-season finale and then were whipped by Oklahoma 45-31 in the Sugar Bowl.

A&M picked sixth in West

Coach Kevin Sumlin's third team at Texas A&M is picked sixth in the SEC West, according to the preseason media poll. Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi and Mississippi State are the first five picks in the West. South Carolina and Georgia led the balloting in the East.

Two years ago, the Aggies were picked fifth before finishing third in the West. A year ago, the media picked A&M second, and the Aggies finished fourth.

Individually, on offense and defense, offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi and cornerback Deshazor Everett (both first team) were the only A&M all-conference selections among the first, second or third teams. Punter Drew Kaser earned a first-team nod among the specialists, while all-purpose contributor Trey Williams was named to the third team.

Georgia has faith in new QB

Georgia leaned on record-setting quarterback Aaron Murray for the last four years, but with Murray gone to the Kansas City Chiefs, fifth-year senior Hutson Mason earns a chance to try to lead the Bulldogs to their first SEC title since 2005.

"Hutson has watched Aaron's work ethic and how he runs the offseason program," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "Hutson has the respect and confidence of his teammates to take on a leadership role."

Mason, who's 6-3 and 202 pounds, played in five games last season, starting the final two in relief of an injured Murray. He threw for 320 yards against Nebraska in a 24-19 Gator Bowl loss, wrapping up Georgia's disappointing season at 8-5.

"There aren't too many differences between (the two)," receiver Chris Conley said of comparing Murray and Mason. "Both have tons of experience, and both know the offense to a T. Hutson has a lot of touch on his passes; Aaron has a lot of zip. That's one difference."

Ole Miss jokes go out of style

Two years ago, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier wisecracked that he'd rather always have Mississippi on the Gamecocks' schedule than the likes of LSU. At the time, the Rebels were the doormat of the SEC, and Hugh Freeze was a league rookie coach.

Since then, Ole Miss has won two straight bowls and finished last season 8-5, its best mark since going 9-4 in 2009.

"One good thing about media days is coach Spurrier isn't talking about Ole Miss as much - wanting to play us every year," Freeze said Thursday. "That's a good thing."